×
Home Intro People Events Equipment Places Maps Books Photos Videos Other Reference FAQ About
     

World War II Database

Ryunosuke Kusaka file photo [9948]

Ryunosuke Kusaka

SurnameKusaka
Given NameRyunosuke
Born25 Sep 1893
Died23 Nov 1971
CountryJapan
CategoryMilitary-Sea
GenderMale

Contributor:

ww2dbaseRyunosuke Kusaka was born to the director in the Sumitomo zaibatsu in Tokyo, Japan. He attended schools in Osaka, Japan and graduated from the Japanese Navy Academy in 1917. He served aboard cruisers Azuma and Otowa as a midshipman. After being commissioned as an officer, he served aboard a number of warships, including battleships Kongo, Mutsu, and Yamashiro which later were participants in WW2. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant on 1 Dec 1919 and to the rank of lieutenant commander in 1925. Later in 1925, he graduated from the Naval Staff College with specialty in naval aviation. He was posted to the Kasumigaura Air Group in 1926. On 1 Sep 1933, he was assigned as the executive officer of the cruiser Iwate. On 16 Nov 1936, he was named the commanding officer of the carrier Hosho, which was his first command. He was named the captain of carrier Akagi in 1939. On 15 Nov 1940, he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral and was assigned to command the 24th Air Flotilla. In Apr 1941, he was named the Chief of Staff of the 1st Air Fleet under Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, thus played a role in the planning and execution of the Pearl Harbor and the Midway battles. He was known for his cool personality, perhaps from his Zen Buddhist background, and being a great negotiator. Starting in Nov 1942, he served in a number of staff positions. He was named the Chief of Staff of the Combined Fleet on 6 Apr 1944, followed by a promotion to the rank of vice admiral on 1 May. At the end of the war, he was the commanding officer of the 5th Air Fleet.

ww2dbaseAdmiral Jinichi Kusaka who also served with the Japanese Navy during WW2 was his cousin.

ww2dbaseSources:
Jon Parshall and Anthony Tully, Shattered Sword
Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Apr 2010

Ryunosuke Kusaka Timeline

25 Sep 1893 Ryunosuke Kusaka was born.
29 Nov 1943 Rear Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy 11th Air Fleet.
6 Apr 1944 Ryunosuke Kusaka was named the chief of staff of the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet.
17 Aug 1945 Vice Admiral Ryunosuke Kusaka was name the commanding officer of the Japanese Navy 5th Air Fleet.
23 Nov 1971 Ryunosuke Kusaka passed away.




Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you.

Share this article with your friends:

 Facebook
 Reddit
 Twitter

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds




Posting Your Comments on this Topic

Your Name
Your Email
 Your email will not be published
Comment Type
Your Comments
 

Notes:

1. We hope that visitor conversations at WW2DB will be constructive and thought-provoking. Please refrain from using strong language. HTML tags are not allowed. Your IP address will be tracked even if you remain anonymous. WW2DB site administrators reserve the right to moderate, censor, and/or remove any comment. All comment submissions will become the property of WW2DB.

2. For inquiries about military records for members of the World War II armed forces, please see our FAQ.

Change View
Desktop View

Search WW2DB
More on Ryunosuke Kusaka
Ship(s) Served:
» Akagi
» Hosho
» Iwate
» Kongo
» Mutsu
» Yamashiro

Related Books:
» Shattered Sword

Famous WW2 Quote
"Since peace is now beyond hope, we can but fight to the end."

Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937


Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!